In January 2022, the Singapore Police Force revealed two new drones that would join its current fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The first drone was reported to weigh in at around 7 kg and about 1 square meter in size, and is specialized for use in crowd management and security events, while the second drone was only about 1kg and 30 square centimeters in size, meant to fit in tighter spaces. Information such as top speed, fleet size and other specifications were kept confidential.
The Singapore Police Force currently deploys drones across a range of settings and scenarios such as search operations, crowd management, public safety operations, aerial patrols and enforcement operations. Drones are expected to reduce uncertainty and enhance the police’s capabilities during operations, allowing earlier detection of any anomalies not visible to police officers. The drones it uses are typically housed in self-sufficient drone stations and can be quickly deployed over long distances, including in inaccessible or risky environments, for security operations and to support civil emergencies, allowing the police to make faster and better decisions in deciding what resources need to be deployed to deal with incidents.
The new 7 kg police drone had already been deployed prior to its unveiling in January 2022. In March 2021, the drone was used to locate a suspect that had fled from a police check into a forested area and to detect possible escape routes. In the same month, it was also used to assist in the search for a lost hiker in a forest. Most recently, it was used in Marina Bay during New Year’s Eve for crowd-monitoring, its thermal imaging sensors providing a birds-eye shot of the tourist spot.
(Sources: The Straits Times)
